Nightmares are Good
by MisaNissa
Summary: The town hungry the lost reappears to claim one more twisted innocence.


The path ahead stretched on for miles. Tires lurched across the drowned out pavement. A thick blanket of fog enveloped the car as it sped down the road. Trees were bent this way and that; A foreboding sign to turn away. My weary eyes searched ahead. The road lines had all but blended into the mist; its hypnotic waves gaining the attention of my tired gaze. My hands, clammy and burning white, gripped the wheel uneasily. Shadows danced in the darkness, bringing to life the reality of paranoia; their taunting movements making it all but unbearable to concentrate on the pavement ahead.

The air stiffened with anxiety. A chill sent quakes down my spine. The world around me seemed to have disappeared; leaving only the road and an endless white haze. Eyes fixed on the trail ahead; I made a fetal attempt to distract what was left of my already exhausted mind. There had been no turns, no lights, no signs; no traces of life for what felt like days. Even the trees had eased up on their twisted games, fading into the unrelenting mist as I continued on. Many would assume that they were lost at this point. But, lost wouldn't be the correct term for this drive. No, lost described things sought after. This venture could be seen as forgotten. No one would dare set foot into a fog this thick, especially not to look for me.

Why would they?

I sure as hell wouldn't.

I wasn't sure if the rational part of my mind was working properly by this point. How could it be? I'd been driving on a straight road through the fog for hours and it hadn't crossed my mind till now that there might be something odd about that. My preferred path should have taken at least a couple more serpentine turns to get to the final destination. The map nestled in the seat next to me sat unfolded; like it had been the whole drive. I didn't need a map to tell me where I was going. It was a bit outdated as it was, so, it would only confuse me. If it hadn't been for the tense atmosphere, I would have laughed to myself. I was that typical guy; never willing to ask for directions or refer to a map for help. I grimaced at the thought instead. Laughing seemed all too inappropriate for the time being.

I scanned ahead again, taking note that the road lines were beginning to fade from what I assumed would be weather conditions. I kept as far to the right as I could. The last thing I wanted was to get in an accident due to the state's inability to keep up the roadways. It didn't seem like I'd need to worry about a head on collision though. There'd been no one for miles. Not since the fog started. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to make a connection between the two or if there was even a correlation at all.

I knew I couldn't be _that_ far from town. If I didn't come across it in another mile or so, I would consider browsing the map, or even turning around. The ladder seemed pointless however if I wanted to make it back before nightfall; whenever that was. Glancing at my watch, it read a little after one in the morning. The fog told a different time however. It had made the last part of the drive feel like midday. Though, the time on the watch would explain my growing fatigue. I rubbed my eyes in slight frustration, still trying to make out signs in the fog ahead.

Before my mind could register the shape in front of me, I hit the brake. The already worn tires beneath screamed as I tried to swerve. The back end of my car seemed to fish tail despite the time of year. I grit my teeth and braced for the impact. There was no way skidding at this speed would end well.

You know how doctors and psychologists always say you black out before an accident? To avoid the pain and fear of what's to come? Well, those who still preach that, have never been in an accident. My eyes were fixed open on the scene ahead till the very last second. But I remember it all. I didn't fade out or 'see everything go black.' My car spun in a complete circle before slamming violently up against a pole. I couldn't tell whether I was relieved to find something man made, or scared shitless that I was going to die. My eyelids were still glued shut even after everything had gotten quiet. A low whistle was what finally made me open them. Blinking a couple of times to clear the spots, I noticed the source of the noise. A stream of smoke was leaking from the hood. Upon further inspection from my rooted spot, it was obvious that there was a bit of pressure underneath the hood as it looked that it might snap open at any moment.

My head fell against the steering wheel in exhaustion. It seemed today just wouldn't be my day. As I attempted to open my door, I was welcomed with the fact that it was tightly jammed against the pole I'd struck. A short breathe escaped my lips as I turned away and tried to reach for the passenger door. It opened easily. Though, my arm on the other hand seemed that it would cause more trouble than the damaged car. Pieces of the shattered glass littered my upper arm from the impact. Their shine reflecting the gloom that fog brought with it.

I'd been in plenty of accidents as a kid. Breaking a leg, then a wrist, then a nose, the list went on. I'd also broken glass around the house enough times to know how dislodge the shards and wrap my arm up before anyone would know what I'd done. I wasn't sneaky; I just liked to avoid consequences. Picking them out, one by one, I threw the bits out the passenger door. Using an old shirt from the back seat, I dabbed at the blood that rose from the empty wounds. I knew I'd need medical attention before long. Though, just as a quick fix up to stop the bleeding for the time being, I ripped a little piece of the shirt off and wrapped it around my arm. Tying the knot with one's teeth is harder than it looks in the movies however and gave me quite a struggle for a minute or so. From the looks of the end result, though, I knew it'd stay tied.

I stared at the quick fix noticing a few words printed boldly along the bottom of the knot. 'Fear Her Flesh,' was written in a rather sinister style followed by a date and time. It took me a couple seconds before remembering where the shirt had appeared from. A friend from work had given it to me as 'souvenir,' from his trip to Oregon. I guess it was one of those three days concerts seeing as he'd left for a good week or so. I was a bit too scrawny to wear it; though, it had been a nice gesture. I always forgot to retrieve it from the car after work. Some friend I was. Running my fingers over the text, I figured it was just another one of the bands. Yet, I still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling it gave me.

The sudden urge to get out of the car overwhelmed me and I crawled out with little hesitation. Shaking off the last bits of glass from my clothes, I turned back to the wreckage I wished I could still call a car. It would definitely need some repairing. Shuffling over to the car, I gently touched the hood's latch. It sprang to life cracking the windshield as it went. _Shit._ Smoke blew up every which way, barely giving me time to avoid the blast of heat.

I inspected cars for a living. I should have known it'd pop up due to the pressure. It had never crossed my mind that it would fall back onto the windshield though. I cleared the smoke from my eyes with a couple hand waves and toyed with the hinges. Sure enough, the released pressure had been enough to snap the springs attaching the hood. I stepped a few paces back and watched the smoke simmer down a bit. I'd need a pretty penny to get it fixed up; even with the tools and parts I had at the shop.

Wiping the sweat beads off my brow, I turned back to the road remembering just why I crashed. The fog, still dense enough to cut, hung damply in the air, making anything within ten feet virtually invisible. I took a step in the direction of where I'd come trying to find what had crashed me. Maybe it was my mind playing tricks, but, I could've sworn I saw a…cradle? That's at least what it had looked like upon seeing it at ninety miles per hour in the mist. Looking back now, there was no trace of there ever being such a thing. Then again, I knew I must have imagined it and swerved anyways. _What would a cradle be doing here anyways?_

I rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably. A loud crash from behind caused me to duck and turn all in one motion. I squinted through the fog back at the car trying to find the cause. A bottle lay shattered beneath passenger door. I carefully made my way over and kneeled down to inspect what remained. It appeared to be a bottle of unmarked alcohol. That is, from what I could smell. My tongue throbbed for a moment before I became curious as to where the bottle came from. The only explanation was that it had fallen from my car. I only wished that I was shocked. Leaving the remains on the ground, I stood up and took in the full sight of my car. My eyes trailed up the pole I'd hit to the sign hung upon it.

Faded and worn, the sign still held the same wonder it always had since I'd first seen it. Sure, they'd fixed the others up over the years but, the one to the West was always forgotten. I could never figure out why, seeing as it was closer to the town and all. My heels rocked slightly as I read over the sign once more.

Silent Hill

_I'm home._


End file.
